Atem's Birthday
by mysticdragon2016
Summary: Takes place after Date Night AtemxYugi pairing. Yugi smiled at the sapphire ring on his left hand. Atem had given him so much, had gone to great lengths for him. Yugi would have to find a way to celebrate his beloved Pharaoh's birthday.
1. Chapter 1

Yugi Muto stirred softly in his sleep, moving closer to the former pharaoh. A smile crept onto his face. Since Atem had been returned to him, the teen often smiled in his sleep, dreaming of spending time with Atem. Something that had been difficult during the school year.  
Yugi woke slowly that morning.

It was rare that Yugi woke before the Pharaoh. He reached out his left hand to place it on Atem's, the sapphire ring catching his eyes once more. The object, which had been given along with the promise of unwavering loyalty and undying love had become his most precious possession.  
"I love you so much." He whispered to the sleeping teen. "You make me so happy and I promise to do the same for you. You'll be proud to call me your heart. I won't let you down."

"You never have and I'm already very proud of you." Atem said opening his eyes.

"Morning, Atem." Yugi greeted.

"Good morning, my heart. Did you sleep well?"

"Much better than the day before. I guess there's just something about sleeping over here with you that's more comforting."

"You're always welcome to sleep here, Yugi. Whatever I have is yours as well."

"Is this going to be the way our life will always be?" Atem kissed Yugi's forehead.

"Yes. I will always make sure you know this feeling of love. You have become a part of me and I will do all I can to give you everything."

"You don't have to do all that. I'm just glad I have you. Anyway, it's almost your birthday, I should be asking you what you want to do to celebrate."

"I would be happy to spend time with you. I don't need anything extravagant. Maybe we could get a movie and stay in our room to watch it."

"But-"

"We could lie here, just the two of us." Atem pulled him closer. Yugi's head rested against his chest. "I could hold you just this way." Yugi grinned and chuckled as the pharaoh nuzzled him lovingly.

"I'd love that, but you deserve to be celebrated. After everything you've done for all of us...you're a hero-"

"No, I just did the what needed to be done. There are other things that are important. Bigger things."

"Still, you're amazing and I want to do something special for you."

"You do that everyday. You've been making dinner, you come down to the game shop to help so I can get everything done and I can come home sooner. You really have been keeping me-" Yugi placed a palm on Atem's cheek and leaned in to kiss him lovingly.  
Atem held him tighter, allowing Yugi to deepen the kiss.  
Yugi's free hand traveled up to Atem's hair, running his slender fingers through it.

After a moment, Atem pulled away, gazing into Yugi's eyes.

"Are you absolutely sure-"

"I'm sure. You're so patient and loving with me, It's okay." Yugi said resting his head on Atem's chest. A knock at the door caused them both to sigh heavily.

"Are you boys up, I need you down stairs today." Solomon called from the other side of the door.

"We're awake, Grandpa. We'll be there in a minute." Yugi called back, sitting up, followed by Atem.

"I guess we'll have to talk about it later. In the meantime, think about what you might want for your birthday." Yugi said sliding off the bed and crossing the room to his closet where he rummaged through his clothes to find the right outfit. Atem lay still in bed. He was in no hurry to join his family in the game shop as the place seemed to cause him irritation. Although since school was out for summer, Yugi's presence seemed to brighten the day and he managed to keep a smile on the former pharaoh's face.


	2. Chapter 2

"Great, thanks Tea. I can't pull this off without you guys." Yugi said into the receiver, he glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Atem and Grandpa should be back soon, I'll have to talk to you later."

"If you think of anything else, let me know, I'll have Joey and Tristan check these out with me later. We'll go to the supply store tomorrow." Tea said cheerfully.

"Thanks again, I really owe you guys for this."

"Atem's our friend, we don't mind helping out." When Yugi ended the call, he hurried to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Atem's favorite drink,sitting it on the table. He turned back to the stove,tending to dinner. The duelist smiled to himself when the door opened and faint voices reached his ears. He made his way to the living room to greet them.

"Thank you, Solomon, but are you sure?" Atem asked.

"Of course, my boy. I don't expect Yugi to work on his birthday and I won't expect it from you. In fact, I think it would be a good idea to give Yugi the day off too so you can have some quality time together."

"That would mean quite a lot to me. I look forward to being able to spend that time with him." Atem admitted.

"Hey, Love. " Yugi greeted,pulling Atem into a hug. The former pharaoh wrapped his arms around him while Solomon shook his head slowly.

"Young love...you two remind me of me and my wife when we were your age...of course I didn't give her a ring until later, seemed like we had all the time in the world." The old man sighed. "Take my advice boys, I know you feel like you want to do many things in your life, but it's really the little things that matter most, just being there for each other, making tea... Waking up to find them beside you and just knowing you two complete each other..." He sighed, making oway to his chair.

"Come with me." Yugi requested taking Atem's hand and leading him to the kitchen.

"Yugi, you don't have to-" Atem began, noticing the meal waiting for them.

"I know, I want to, you always take such good care of me,I'd like to do the same for you." The pair lowered themselves onto the chairs, sitting across from each other.

"I thought it would be nice to eat together, just us...I also wanted to talk to you about something."

"What would you like to talk about?" Atem asked as they began to eat.

"Your birthday."

"Yugi, we've been through this, I don't need any-"

"Just hear me out, if you feel like it, I'd really like to take you out. We can just walk around,some new shops are opening up soon and we could stop and see what they have on our way to get a movie. We could... Come back and if you still wanted to, I love our snuggle time." Atem smiled.

"It's sounds like you have the whole day planned already, but wouldn't you like to stay inside and just take a day to enjoy a quiet-"

"Please Love, it would mean the world to me." Yugi pleaded, reaching across the table for Atem's hand.

"I can't refuse my heart,if it's that important to you Yugi, we'll go."

"Great, it'll be fun, I promise. Maybe we can even go to lunch at that place you like."" Yugi suggested cheerfully. A silence fell over them as they continued their meal, Yugi could see that Atem was tired.

"Tough day?" Yugi asked.

"None of that matters now, I'm here with you." Yugi gave Atem's hand a comforting squeeze.

"I'll come to the game shop with you tomorrow, maybe if we work together, we can get everything done faster and Grandpa might let us off early."

"But don't you have-"

"It's okay. It's not really that important. I'd rather be here with you anyway." After dinner, Atem helped Yugi with the dishes and both boys said goodnight to Solomon. They made their way to their room and laid down beside each other.

Yugi took Atem's hand.

"0o you want to tell me about it?" He asked, readjusting his head on the pillow.

"It's nothing." The Pharaoh insisted.

"Is it something else?" Atem sighed, it was in that moment that Yugi understood.

"I wish I could give them back to you." Yugi said softly. "If I could bring them here for your birthday, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"I know you would. All that time in the puzzle...I didn't have to think about it. Now that I have my own life I have a wonderful group of people around me that want me to be happy and in some ways I am. I just don't care much for celebrating."

"I understand, Love. Is there anything I can do?" Atem moved closer to the duelist.

"Would it be all right if just for tonight, I could trade with you?" Yugi smiled, pulling him into his arms and holding him tightly.

"Of course it is. I know I'm usually the one to lean on you, it's okay if you need to lean on me too. I love you very much." Yugi kissed Atem's head lovingly.

"I love you too, Yugi. So much more than I could ever say."

"That's what I'm here for." Atem smiled faintly, beginning to nuzzle Yugi.

"What is it?" Yugi asked.

"I was think, that's all."

"About what?"

"How lucky I am to have you. No other Pharaoh could claim such an amazing partner and I'm grateful that you agreed to share our lives."

"I couldn't imagine being with anyone else. You're my forever love, how could I not want to be your heart when you fill mine with so much happiness?" Yugi pointed out, he sighed contentedly as Atem snuggled into him. He was already attempting to formulate a new plan.


	3. Chapter 3

Yugi returned to the shop carrying a plastic bag and cup. He pushed open the door and greeted his grandfather warmly.

"Hey Grandpa." Solomon looked up from his work.

"Yugi, back so soon?" He inquired.

"Yeah, I stopped to get Atem something to eat. I wanted to surprise him. Is he still in the back?"

"Yes. He could use the company, I'm sure. you know how he feels about it. I've been having him stock shelves and organize."

Yugi nodded and continued to the back where he closed the door behind him.

Atem was in the process of pushing a small stack of boxes into a corner of the room. Yugi placed the items on the desk.

"Do you feel like taking a break,Love?" He asked,earning a grin from the former king. Atem met Yugi half way across the floor, where Yugi wrapped his arms around Atem's neck, pulling him forward,pressing their lips together. He deepened the kiss,allowing Atem to pull him close. When finally they pulled away, Yugi blushed slightly.

"That was quite a greeting." Atem commented.

"Well, I've missed you. Everyone did. You'll have to come with me next time. I brought you something to eat and your favorite strawberry milkshake."

"Thank you." Atem kissed Yugi once more.

"I thought you could use some cheering up. If you want, I can stay and keep you company."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather-"

"I'm sure, and I'll help you finish up. We can use the free time to be together you sit here and relax, I'll go through these boxes. It won't take long. Everyone said hi by the way." Yugi said beginning his task.

"Your visit went well then?"

"Yeah, it was nice. It would've been much better if we were all there. Do you think maybe we could get together with them next weekend?"

"I think I can manage that."

"that would be great, We can plan for Sunday, that way we can still have our special day."

"That should be fine." Atem said.

"Great. Are you feeling better today?" Atem sighed heavily.

"Last night was-"

"It's fine, I told you that. You don't always have to be so strong. I love you and I'm here for you."

"I love you too, Yugi. Thank you for helping, it's been a long day."

"I'm sorry,Love. I'll make it up to you." A short time later, Yugi and Atem made their way back to the house, having finished all their work in Solomon's shop. Yugi closed the door behind him.

"We finally have some alone time." He said moving closer to Atem.

"" It seems so, the question is what should we do with it?" The young duelist leaned into the former king, his head resting on his chest. Atem embraced him, allowing Yugi to begin snuggling into him affectionately.

"I have an idea. Kind of an early birthday present." Yugi said.

"What is it?" Yugi grinned.

"I could tell you, but then it wouldn't be a surprise. I'd rather show you."  
Yugi pulled away to gaze into Atem's eyes.

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing really. It's just... Something special. You're always so patient and gentle, I feel like I'm-"

"Yugi, if you're asking me for what I think you are, I won't push you into that,even if we were in my time I could never-" Yugi silenced him with a kiss,placed his hand on Atem's cheek as the affection was deepened. Atem's strong arms held Yugi tightly.

"I know you wouldn't. I trust you, Atem. " Yugi said softly.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Yeah, Yugi confirmed taking his hand and leading Atem up the stairs to their bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

Warning: slight mentions of adult activity nothing graphic.

"You're sure you're all right?" Atem asked, clearly concerned. He brushed a few strands of hair away from Yugi's face.

"I'm fine, I promise. You don't have to worry." Yugi replied softly. "It was different than I thought it would be...more gentle and loving than what it looks like when people do...things on tv. But then you don't really see much."

"There is a difference. What you and I shared was more about showing our love than just a physical act." Atem explained, Yugi kissed him softly.

"It was beautiful." The teen said resting in Atem's arms.

"You are beautiful,Yugi. You are the most precious gift I've been given. Truly the gods have blessed me with such a kind, loving and devoted partner."

"I'm glad I get to be with you. When I thought I'd never see you again,it shattered my heart. I've never loved anyone like this before. Thank you for coming back to me. I promise I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you don't regret it and making you happy. I'll make your birthday special."

" you make every day special. I know I haven't been myself at times,but I want you to know that I do love you and if there was ever a moment that I made you feel any other way -"

"I didn't. I know it's painful to be separated from your loved ones. But I hope you know that it's okay if you need me sometimes.I lean on you a lot, but it works both ways. You're just as important to me as I am to you." They sighed in unison. Yugi raised his head,looking to the clock.

"Grandpa should be back soon, we should get ready to go down and I'll start dinner. Is there anything special you want?" Yugi asked.

"Anything you decide to make will be fine." Yugi kissed Atem before forcing himself to get up and prepare himself to make dinner.

"I'll see you down in the kitchen, Love." Yugi called, deciding to take a quick shower. Atem remained in bed a few minutes more. He hadn't expected to fall in love with Yugi in the beginning but all that soon changed, putting into motion events that would test their bond and strengthen it leading them to where they were now. Atem knew in his heart that he had made the right decision. He belonged to Yugi, their hearts forever joined together.

A short time later, Atem made his way to the kitchen where Yugi was busy setting the table. The former Pharaoh joined him, wrapping his arms around Yugi from behind. Yugi paused, feeling Atem rest his head on his shoulder.

"What can I do to help?" Atem asked, hugging him.

"If you want to, you can get the glasses from the cupboard. I hope you don't mind me picking something quick for tonight. I don't really have time to-"

"It's all right. You were busy." Yugi turned to face him, blushing slightly.

"Yeah...but that was my fault. I mean I was the one that-"

"You can't blame yourself entirely." Yugi rested his head on Atem's chest. The pair stood there silently, enjoying the moment until they heard the door open and Solomon's voice called out to them. Atem released him.

"I'll get those glasses." He said moving to the cupboard.

"Y-yeah, I'll...finish dinner."

"What have you boys been up to this afternoon?"

"Nothing." The teens answered in unison. Solomon shot them a skeptical look but decided to drop the issue. Instead the older man grabbed his newspaper and walked to the living room shaking his head.


End file.
